This invention relates generally to the field of carts used in supermarkets and the like, and is directed particularly to a novel basket for use as the rear basket in an over-the-counter shopping cart having front and rear baskets.
Many over-the-counter (OTC) shopping carts known in the prior art have both a front and a rear basket. The front basket is provided for holding groceries or other items while the rear basket is adapted to carry a small child.
In many OTC carts known in the prior art, the front and rear baskets are entirely of open wirework construction. Wirework construction, however, produces a basket that is unsatisfactory. Baskets constructed in this manner are inherently deficient, both in terms of difficulty of manufacture and in terms of maintenance and up-keep. The wires in the basket are welded at the crossing points and the basket is chrome-plated to provide a smooth, cleanable and attractive surface. The welding and plating processes are intricate and complex with the results often being less than desired. In time, the wire welds and plating frequently break due to inadvertent impacts during routine use. The plating is also subject to removal during normal wear and by scraping against other objects. When the plating is removed or scraped away or broken, the base metal is exposed and can easily corrode. When corrosion occurs, the cart, and particularly the baskets, become unsightly and unattractive. Moreover, articles placed in baskets in such deteriorated conditions can become pinched or snared by the unsecured or broken wires, thereby resulting in inconvenience to the cart user and damage to the goods carried in the baskets.
Repair and maintenance is another area where baskets of open wirework construction are deficient. Not only is it difficult to bend deformed wires back into shape, it is difficult and expensive to reweld and replate them. The cart frame and baskets are often integral with one another in OTC carts known in the prior art and, therefore, they cannot easily be taken apart to repair or replace damaged components. Frequently, carts having baskets of wirework construction are not repaired but are discarded when they become too unsightly for use.
OTC carts known in the prior art having baskets made of open wirework construction are also quite heavy and are difficult to push and to maneuver, especially if the cart wheels are not in good working order.
The problems associated with baskets of wirework construction are particularly serious with respect to the rear basket. As mentioned above, the rear basket is often provided for carrying small children. It goes without saying that loose and unsecured wires in the rear basket create a substantial safety hazard to children who are seated in such baskets.
Many of the above-mentioned problems with respect to baskets of wirework construction were pointed out and addressed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,774, directed to a non-OTC cart with a stationary plastic basket and my U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,346, directed to an OTC cart having a plastic front basket and a wire rear basket. The material disclosed in these patents are incorporated herein by reference.
While the baskets and carts disclosed in my previous patents overcame many of the problems and disadvantages associated with carts known in the prior art, these carts remain deficient in the area of the rear basket.